The Bible Book by Book Part 24

1. The entrance to Jerusalem, 19:28 end.

2. Questions and answers. Ch. 20.

3. The widow's mites, 21:1-4.

4. Preparation for the end, 21:5-22:38.

V. The Savior Suffers for the World, 22:39-23 end.

1. The agony in the garden, 22:39-46.

2. The betrayal and arrest, 22:47-53.

3. The trial. 22:54-23:26.

4. The cross, 23:27-49.

5. The burial, 23:30 end.

VI. The Savior is Glorified, Ch. 24.

1. The resurrection, 1-12.

2. The appearance and teachings, 13-49.

3. The ascension, 50 end.

For Study and Discussion, 1. Six miracles peculiar to Luke. (1) The draught of fishes, 5:4-11. (2) The raising of the widow's son, 7:11- 18. (3) The woman with the spirit of infirmity, 13:11-17. (4) The man with the dropsy, 14:1-6. (5) The ten lepers, 17:11-19. (6) The healing of Malchus' ear. 22:50-51.

2. Eleven parables, peculiar to Luke. (I) The two debtors, 7:41-43.

(2) The good Samaritan, 10:25-37. (3) The importunate friend, 11:5-8.

(4) The rich fool, 12:16-19. (5) The barren fig-tree, 13:6-9. (6) The lost piece of silver, 15:8-10. (7) The prodigal son, 15:11-32. (8) The unjust steward, 16:1-13. (9) The rich man and Lazarus, 18:19-31. (10) The unjust judge, 18:1-8. (11) The Pharisee and publican, 18:9-14.

3. Some other pa.s.sages mainly peculiar to Luke. (1) Chs. 1-2 and 9:51- 18:14 are mainly peculiar to Luke. (2) John the Baptist's answer to the people. 3:10-14. (3) The conversation with Moses and Elias, 9:30- 31. (4) The weeping over Jerusalem, 19:41-44. (5) The b.l.o.o.d.y sweat, 22:44. (6) The sending of Jesus to Herod, 23:7-12. (7) The address to the daughters of Jerusalem, 23:27-31. (8) "Father forgive them", 23:34. (9) The penitent robber, 23:40-43. (10) The disciples at Emmaus, 24:13-31; (11) Particulars about the ascension. 24:50-53.

4. The following words and phrases should be studied, making a list of the references where each occurs and a study of each pa.s.sage in which they occur with a view of getting Luke's conception of the term.

(1) The "son of man" (23 times). (2) The "son of G.o.d" (7 times). (3) The "kingdom of G.o.d" (32 times). (4) References to law, lawyer, lawful (18 times). (5) Publican (11 times). (6) Sinner and sinners (16 times). Mr. Stroud estimates that 59 percent of Luke is peculiar to himself and Mr. Weiss figures that 541 have no incidences in the other gospels.

Chapter XXVII.

John.

The Author. From the evidence found in the gospel, we may learn several things about the author. (1) _That he was a Jew_. This is seen in his evident knowledge of Jewish opinions concerning such subjects as the Messiah, and his knowledge of their customs, such as the purification. (2) _He was an eye-witness to most of what he relates_.

This is seen in his exact knowledge of time, as to the hour or time of day a thing occurred; in his knowledge of the number of persons or things present, as the division of his garments into four parts; in the vividness of the narrative which he could hardly have had without first having seen it all. (3) _He was an apostle_. This is seen in his knowledge of the thoughts of the disciples (2:11, 17); in his knowledge of the private words of the disciples to Jesus and among themselves (4:31, 33, etc.); in his knowledge of the private resorts of the disciples (11:54. etc.); and in his knowledge of the Lord's motives, etc. (2:24-25, etc.); and in his knowledge of Christ's feelings (11:33). (4) _He was the son of Zebedee_ (Mar. 1:19-20), and was probably one of John's two disciples whom he turned to Jesus (1- 40). (5) _He is one of the three most prominent of the apostles_, being several times especially honored (Matt. 17:1-3. etc.), and is prominent in the work of the church after Christ's ascension, as well as in all their work before his death: (6) _He also wrote three epistles and Revelation_. He outlived all the other apostles and is supposed to have died on the Isle of Patmos as an exile about 100 A.D.

The Times and Circ.u.mstances of the Writings. These are so different from those which influenced the other evangelists that one can hardly escape the feeling that John's gospel is colored accordingly. The gospel had been preached in all the Roman empire and Christianity was no longer considered a Jewish sect, attached to the Synagogue.

Jerusalem had been overthrown and the temple destroyed. Christians had been sorely persecuted, but had achieved great triumphs in many lands. All the rest of the New Testament except Revelation had been written. Some had arisen, who disputed the deity of Jesus and while the gospel is not a mere polemic against that false teaching, it does, by establishing the true teaching thoroughly undermine the false. He perhaps wrote to Christians of all nationalities, whose history had by this time been enriched by the blood of martyrs for the faith. Instead of the Messiah in whom Jews would find a Savior or the mighty worker in whom the Roman would find him, or the Ideal Man in whom the Greeks would find him. John wrote concerning the eternal, Incarnate Word in whose Spiritual Kingdom each, having lost his narrowness and racial prejudice, could be forever united.

The Style and the Plan. This gospel differs from the others in language and plan. It is both profound and simple and has several elements of style as follows: (1) Simplicity. The sentences are short and connected by coordinate conjunctions. There are but few direct quotations, and but few dependent sentences, and most of them show the sequence of things, either as a cause or a purpose. (2) Sameness. This arises from the method of treating each step in the narrative as if isolated and separate from all the rest rather than merging it into the complete whole. (3) Repet.i.tion, whether in the narrative proper or in the quoted words of the Lord, is very frequent. The following examples will ill.u.s.trate this: "In the beginning was the word and the word was with G.o.d and the word was G.o.d." "The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not." "I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth his life." "Jesus then, when he saw her weeping and the Jews that were weeping with her." "If I bear witness of myself my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true." Let the student gather a list of all such repet.i.tions.

(4) _Parallelism_, or statements expressing the same or similar truths, such as the following are common. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you"; "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid"; "I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish." This parallelism, which at the same time becomes repet.i.tion, is seen in the way a subject or conclusion is stated and, after elaboration, restated in a new and enlarged view, thus teaching the truth in a gradually unfolding beauty and force. An ill.u.s.tration is found in the statement, "I will raise him up in the last day," 6, 39, 70, 44. (5) _Contrasts_. The plan is more simple and more easily seen all along than is that of any other of the Evangelists. On the one hand, he shows how love and faith are developed in the believer until, in the end, Thomas, who was the most doubtful of all, could exclaim, "My Lord and my G.o.d." On the other hand, he shows the unbeliever advanced from mere indifference to a positive hatred that culminated in the crucifixion. This purpose is carried out by a process of contrasting and separating things that are opposites, such as (a) Light and darkness, (b) _Truth_ and falsehood, (c) Good and evil, (d) Life and death, (e) G.o.d and Satan. In all of these he is convincing his reader that Jesus is the Christ, the son of G.o.d.

Characteristics and Purpose.

1. It Is a Gospel of the Feasts. Indeed, if subtract from it those miracles and teachings and other works performed in connection with the feasts, we should have only a few fragments left. The value of the book would be destroyed and the most beautiful and the profoundest teachings of the gospel lost.

The student will do well from the following list of feasts to endeavor to group around each all that John records as occurring in connection with it. (1) The Feast of the Pa.s.sover (2:13, 23), First Pa.s.sover, A.

D. 27. (2) A Feast of the Jews (5:1), probably Purim. (3) Pa.s.sover a Feast of the Jews (6:4), Second Pa.s.sover, A. D. 28. (4) Feast of the Tabernacles (7:2). (5) Feast of the Dedication (10:22). (6) Pa.s.sover (11:55-56; 12:1, 12, 20; 13:29; 18:28). Third Pa.s.sover, A. D. 29.

2. It Is a Gospel of Testimony. John writes to prove that Jesus is the Christ. He a.s.sumes the att.i.tude of a lawyer before a jury and introduces testimony until he fells certain of his case and then closes the testimony with the a.s.surance that much more could be offered if it seemed necessary. There are seven lines of testimony.

(1) The testimony of John the Baptist. (2) The testimony of certain other individuals. (3) The testimony of Jesus' works. (4) The testimony of Jesus himself (see the I am's). (5) The testimony of the scripture. (6) The testimony of the Father. (7) The testimony of the Holy Spirit.

3. It Is of Gospel of Belief. The purpose being to produce belief there are given: numerous examples of belief, showing the growth of faith; the secret of faith, such as hearing or receiving the word; the results of faith, such as eternal life, freedom, peace, power, etc.

4. It Is a Spiritual Gospel. It represents the deeper mediations of John, which are shaped so as to establish a great doctrine which, instead of history, became his great impulse. To John "history is doctrine" and he reviews it in the light of its spiritual interpretation. It furnished a great bulwark against the Gnostic teachers, who had come to deny the diety of Jesus. He also emphasized and elaborated the humanity of Jesus. His whole purpose is "not so much the historic record of the facts as the development of their inmost meaning."

5. It Is a Gospel of Symbolism. John was a mystic and delighted in mystic symbols. The whole book speaks in the language of symbols. The mystic numbers three and seven prevail throughout the book not only in the things and sayings recorded but in the arrangement of topics. Each of the Eight Miracles is used for a "sign" or symbol, as the feeding of the five thousand in which Jesus appears as the bread or support of life. The great allegories of the Good-Shepherd, the sheep-fold and the vine; the names used to designate Jesus as the Word, Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life, etc., all show how the whole gospel is penetrated with a spirit of symbolic representation.

6. It Is the Gospel of the Incarnation. "Matthew explains his messianic function; Mark his active works and Luke his character as Savior." John magnifies his person and everywhere makes us see "the word made flesh." G.o.d is at no great distance form us. He has become flesh. The word has come as the Incarnate Man. Jesus, this Incarnate Man, is G.o.d and as such fills the whole book, but he, nevertheless, hungers and thirsts and knows human experience. G.o.d has come down to man to enable him to rise up to G.o.d.

Subject: Jesus, the Christ, G.o.d's Son.

a.n.a.lysis.

Introduction or prologue, 1:1-18.

(1) The divine nature of the word. 1-5.

(2) The manifestation of the word as the world's Savior, 6-18.

I. The Testimony of His Great Public Ministry, 1:19-12 end.

1. He is revealed, 1:19-2:12.

2. He is recognized, 2:13-3 end.

3. He is antagonized, Chs. 5-11.

4. He is honored, Ch. 12.

II. The Testimony of His Private Ministry with His Disciples, Chs.

13-17.

1. He teaches and comforts his disciples, Chs. 13-16.

2. He prays for his disciples, Ch. 17.

III. The Testimony of His Pa.s.sion. Chs. 18-19.